Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States and is also part of the Houston-Galveston combined statistical area. Its population was 45,941 as of the 2020 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area. Huntsville is in the East Texas Piney Woods on Interstate 45 and home to Sam Houston State University, Texas State Prison, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Huntsville State Park, and HEARTS Veterans Museum of Texas.
The city served as the residence of Sam Houston, the first and third president of the Republic of Texas, who later represented the state in the U.S. Senate and as Governor of Texas. He is recognized in Huntsville by the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, a statue on Interstate 45, and Sam Houston State University, located in central Huntsville.
History
The city got its beginning circa 1836, when Pleasant and Ephraim Gray opened a trading post on the site. Ephraim Gray became first postmaster in 1837, naming it after his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama.
The hill at 7th Street and University Avenue, known as Cotton Gin Hill, was the site of several gins and became the ginning and shipping center.
Huntsville became the home of Sam Houston, who served as president of the Republic of Texas, Governor of the State of Texas, governor of Tennessee, U.S. senator, and Tennessee congressman. Houston led the Texas Army in the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive victory of the Texas Revolution. He has been noted for his life among the Cherokees of Tennessee, and— near the end of his life — for his opposition to the Civil War, a very unpopular position in his day. Huntsville has two of Houston's homes, his grave, and the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. Houston's life in Huntsville is also commemorated by his namesake Sam Houston State University founded in 1879, and by a Huntville Statue and Visitors Center, www.samhoustonstatue.org. Retrieved February 9, 2010. statue. (The towering statue, A Tribute to Courage by artist David Adickes, has been described as the world's largest statue of an American hero,Huntville Statue and Visitors Center, www.samhoustonstatue.org and is easily viewed by travelers on Interstate 45.)
Bishop Ward Normal and Collegiate Institute opened in September 1883 in Huntsville. It was the 5th college of African Americans in the state of Texas. Huntsville was also the home of Samuel Walker Houston (1864–1945), a prominent African-American pioneer in the field of education. He was born into slavery on February 12, 1864, to Joshua Houston, an African American enslaved by Sam Houston. Samuel W. Houston founded the Galilee Community School in 1907, which later became known as the Houstonian Normal and Industrial Institute, in Walker County.
In 1995, on the grounds of the old Samuel W. Houston Elementary School, the Huntsville Independent School District, along with the Huntsville Arts CommissionArt Tour of Huntsville accessed April 29, 2007. and the high school's Ex-Students Association, commissioned the creation of The Dreamers, a monument to underscore the black community's contributions to the growth and development of Huntsville and Walker County.
After a book display at the Huntsville Public Library generated a controversy among city officials in 2022, the library removed two book displays. Following the removal of the book displays, the city decided to privatize the library.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Huntsville city, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)19,38420,53721,15855.26%53.28%46.05%Black or African American alone (NH)9,1149,69511,42025.98%25.15%24.86%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)92881530.26%0.23%0.33%Asian alone (NH)3865119981.10%1.33%2.17%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)1916340.05%0.04%0.07%Other race alone (NH)45382230.13%0.10%0.49%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)3494521,0230.99%1.17%2.23%Hispanic or Latino (any race)5,6897,21110,93216.22%18.71%23.80%Total35,07838,54845,941 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Huntsville had a population of 45,941, with a median age of 31.6 years. 13.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.1% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 137.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 142.8 males age 18 and over.
93.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 6.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 14,564 households in Huntsville, of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 29.3% were married-couple households, 27.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 16,705 housing units, of which 12.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.0%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 22,971 50.0% Black or African American 11,609 25.3% American Indian and Alaska Native 298 0.6% Asian 1,012 2.2% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 36 0.1% Some other race 6,895 15.0% Two or more races 3,120 6.8%
2010 census As of the 2010 census, 35,078 people, 10,266 households, and 7,471 families lived in the city. The population density was 1438.3/km sq (10,135.1/mi sq). The 11,508 housing units ha an average density of 1143.8/km sq (1372.4/mi sq). The racial makeup of the city was 65.78% White, 26.14% African American, 0.33% Native American, 1.11% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 4.91% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 16.22% of the population.
Of the 10,266 households, 25.3% had children under 18 living with them, 37.0% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% were not families. Abot 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city, the age distribution was 15.1% under 18, 29.3% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 152.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 163.8 males. The prison population is included in the city's population, which results in a significantly skewed sex ratio.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,075, and for a family was $40,562. Males had a median income of $27,386 versus $22,908 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,576. About 13.1% of families and 23.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under 18 and 14.7% of those 65 or over.
Geography Huntsville is located at (30.711254, −95.548373).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a land area of 35.86 square miles"Huntsville (city), Texas Quickfacts " in 2010.
At the area code level, land area covers 559.661 sq mi and water area 7.786 sq mi.
Huntsville is about north of Houston."Karla Faye Tucker's last hours?" CNN. February 3, 1998. Retrieved on September 29, 2010. It is part of the Texas Triangle megaregion.
Climate The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Huntsville has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.
Economy
As of 2022, the largest employer in Huntsville is the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, with 6,744 employees. In 1996, the TDCJ had 5,219 employees in Huntsville. Robert Draper of the Texas Monthly described Huntsville as the "company town" of the TDCJ; he stated that the industry was "recession-proof" and that "It's hard to find a person in Huntsville who doesn't have at least an indirect affiliation with the prison system", since many businesses indirectly rely on its presence. As of 1996, the TDCJ employed over twice the number of people employed by Sam Houston State University, the city's second-largest employer.
As of 2022, Sam Houston State remained the second-largest employer in Huntsville, with 2,417 employees. The university has a strong role in the study of criminology. The third-largest employer is the Huntsville Independent School District, with 980 employees. The fourth-largest employer, Huntsville Memorial Hospital, has 552 employees; 485 employees work for the fifth-largest employer, Walmart.
As of 2020, Huntsville's average income was lower than Texas' average income.
Government and infrastructure
State representation
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Huntsville has the headquarters of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), the Texas agency that operates state correctional facilities for adults."Huntsville Prison Blues". National Public Radio. September 10, 2001. Retrieved on December 2, 2009."LIVINGSTON NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF STATE'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCY ." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. July 28, 2005. Retrieved on December 2, 2009. The Texas prison system has been headquartered in Huntsville since Texas's founding as a republic, and the TDCJ is the only major state agency not headquartered in Austin, the state capital.
Several TDCJ prisons for men, including the Byrd Unit,"Byrd Unit ". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010. the Goree Unit,"Goree Unit ". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010. the Huntsville Unit (home of the state's execution chamber),"Huntsville Unit ". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010. and the Wynne Unit, are within Huntsville's city limits."Wynne Unit ". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 10, 2010. The Holliday Unit, a transfer unit, is also in Huntsville."Holliday Unit ". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on July 13, 2010.
The TDCJ Central Region Warehouse and Huntsville Prison Store are in the TDCJ headquarters complex."Central Region Warehouse ." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 22, 2010."Huntsville Prison Store ." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 22, 2010. The Food Service Warehouse is behind the Wynne Unit."Food Service Warehouse ." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 22, 2010. The TDCJ operates the Huntsville District Parole Office in Huntsville."Parole Division Region I ." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.
As of 1996, the TDCJ director resided in a mansion across the street from the Huntsville Unit.
Other state agencies The headquarters of the Texas Forensic Science Commission is located at Sam Houston State University."Contact Us ." Texas Forensic Science Commission. Retrieved on July 23, 2010.
Transportation Greyhound Lines operates the Huntsville Station in Huntsville."Huntsville Station ." Greyhound Lines. Retrieved on May 7, 2010. As of 2001 many former prisoners released from the TDCJ system use the station to travel to their final destinations. The station is three blocks uphill from the Huntsville Unit, a point of release for prisoners exiting the TDCJ.Nowell, Scott. "Doing Time." Houston Press. September 18, 2003. 1. (Print article version). Retrieved on September 23, 2010.
Bruce Brothers Huntsville Regional Airport is located in Huntsville. Renamed from the Huntsville Municipal Airport in 2009, Bruce Brothers Huntsville Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport. As of December 2015, it is still listed as the Huntsville Municipal Airport by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Texas Department of Transportation.
Major highways
Culture